Last But Not Least

There is a lot of things to think about when you start crafting items. You must think about the long term of your crafting ability. Things like, will I craft certain weapons? will I craft rings? What is most profitable crafting item to sell? And there are many more things to ask. I will try to simplify it for you though. Have you thought about your final formation? That may determine your your crafting desires. You can craft as many and whatever you want but focusing on 1-3 abilities is recommended. Before you start crafting these are the questions you need to think about when starting a crafting career. Obviously whatever lineup you have chosen will have in most cases multiple weapon types and most definitely armor types. At higher levels your gears are craft only so getting a high crafting level in what types of gears you need is a good idea!

Most Profitable Crafting Types!

Some of the more profitable types of crafting are RINGS and CRYSTALS especially early in the game. I have made millions selling rings and crystals for 20k and 100K+ respectfully. And it only really takes maybe 15-30 minutes to create a batch of 15 and either sold or enchanted for higher level and equip on your mercs or hero. If you are going to be a ring crafter its a great idea to be a crystal enchanter. You cannot enchant rings without certain crystals. And as far as I know crystals are very rare and I wonder if they even drop at all. So as you can see people have no choice but to buy at the market which equals you a ton of money!

Above picture is a skill trainer, once you get to the point where you can upgrade your skill will turn orange. You then can come to this trainer and upgrade your skills to the next level or several levels depending on how many points you have accumulated. The more levels you upgrade the higher level items that you can start crafting. Skill trainers only allow you to upgrade to level 10 where you will then have 2 other options to continue upgrading your craft level.

Learn from other players (recommended)

You can find crafters of higher levels on the community craft list or by shouts in game that are constantly being sent by others. You have the ability to teach skills to others also by shouting in the world chat also. High level crafters will get bonus points for teaching your crafting levels and you will also get points for teaching others also. This is a win win situation for everyone. When you find someone that you want to teach crafting or you want to learn crafting from you must be lower level than them. If this is the case then you can add them to friends list and they/you can click actions in the whisper window of your newly added friend and click actions--> share info. Then you can locate what you want to teach or the other person will find what you need to learn and then share the information with you.

Wandering Crafting NPC's (Last Resort)

There are wandering NPC's that you can learn skill levels from. You will have to pay money for each upgrade from them which becomes very inconvenient if you have a lot of levels that you need to upgrade to. Another inconvenience is that its very difficult to locate these NCP's much less the one that you need to find for your particular craft upgrade. If you are the highest level in the game for a certain area you are limited to upgrading your craft this way. But more often than not you will not be and you can upgrade free and easy from someones else's work. Once you hit level 10 go out there and start teaching crafting to gain points... use world chat as much as you can also, it only costs 1k gold so its cheap!

Atlantica Fansite: http://online-atlantica.com

Hi its Corey, owner of Freetoplaymmorpgs, I hope to bring you all the guides for all your favorite free to play games and continue to grow this fun community!
Feel free to post these articles anywhere you wish but plz keep the http://freetoplaymmorpgs.com link active and give me credit.

AP - Colombia's military found and airlifted to freedom on Sunday a 62-year-old lawmaker who had escaped eight years of rebel captivity and fled deep into the jungle with the head of the guerrilla unit that held him.

I have been playing this series of games for more years than I care to remember, and when I first heard about the impending release of this game, I was ecstatic. This was enhanced by the unbelievably gorgeous graphics used for the teaser trailer for the game, and my heart skipped a beat.

However, this is all before the actual release of the game, and for me, I guess it proved that the hype-ing up of a game, and movie for that matter, does not necessarily guarantee a great game.

Undoubtedly, those reading this have read reviews of the game from games magazines and websites, that state just how 'amazing' this game is. These are undoubtedly the same individuals who said that Halo 3 was brilliant, despite the fact that in fact, the Halo series is a poorly programmed video game that is only as popular as it is due to the fact that Microsoft makes it. But I will write about my opinion on the Halo series when I next get the opportunity.

You see, the truth of the matter is that Unreal Tournament is in fact, not a very good game at all. Putting aside the glitchy graphics and textures, the actual game play is no where near as good as previous games, and in fact there are even some game modes that are missing or have been modded, and it is for this reason that the game does not succeed in appeasing me. In fact, it left a sour taste in my mouth that could only be diminished by playing Alone in the Dark.

This game was delayed for about a year, which in itself is ridiculous when you consider just how poorly made the game actually is. Sure, it uses the unreal 3 engine, but if this is what we are to expect from this engine, then I am seriously considering boycotting most other games that utilise this engine, unless I see that they are using it to its full potential, otherwise, well you end up with Unreal Tournament 3.

One of the other issues that I had with the game was the fact that they have tried to give a game that is basically based around death matches, a storyline. This concept is ridiculous. If I wanted a storyline, instead of just beating the crap out of the nearest opponent to me, then I would just throw in Gears of War into my 360. Basically, they should have left the stories to Unreal, and not Unreal Tournament.

Now, the greatest criticisms I have with this game are the graphics. I don't care what anyone says; this game is 100% NOT pretty. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that it is ugly. The textures are flat, the characters lack any sense of reality, and everything is shiny. The game is no where near as pretty as it pretended to be in the teaser trailer. And believe me, I know pretty when it comes to video games, and even with the best settings on my HDTV, this game is still appalling.

Now, don't get me wrong, it's not all bad. There are some redeeming points for this game, though not enough for me to want to keep this travesty of an unreal game on my shelf, but you never know. Whilst it has in fact mutilated the Unreal Tournament game, this is still basically a game of death and destruction, and if you are looking for a game where you can kill twenty people in about 10 minutes, then I guess this is the game for you.

I certainly (in hindsight) wouldn't pay full whack price for this game, but about 30 is an acceptable price. Though be warned, this game is set to disappoint, which it has done many of my friends who have been fans of the series for many years.

My advice to one playing this game is to not listen to the hype and false reviews written in magazines. Do not expect this game to compare in any shape, way or form to its' predecessors, as quite simply it does not, and will leave you ever so slightly dead inside.

Kristen Barghout

Blog: http://www.animezonecentral.com

I am a professional programmer, with a keen interest in all things related to anime and video games. I don't just like certain genre's, I like all genre's, and will always give my honest opinion.

I can't always find the time to post my articles here, but if you visit my blog, there is lots of news and reviews, so please check it out.

AP - An Arkansas television anchorwoman died Saturday, several days after she didn't answer her wake-up call and was found beaten in her home, hospital officials said.

If going to the post office is a chore you would love to take off your list, the time has come to look into the ability to print postage online. Even if your computer skills are strained when you move beyond sending an email, you will find that being able to print online postage is easy and will benefit you in several different ways. Here are some reasons being able to do so is a great advantage for both home and business.

One of the most obvious advantages is that you can completely eliminate the need to stand in line at the post office. It doesn't matter whether you are mailing letters, postcards, or packages. The USPS approved online postage services are set up so that you can print online for just about any situation. From there, you simply drop the letters of package into any USPS mail receptacle at your leisure.

Along with the ability to print post online, you also can have the system automatically print your return address on the envelope, as well as enter the mailing address for the recipient. Being able to fill out the entire face of the envelope can be a wonderful time saver, allowing you to cover all three steps at one time.

Another advantage is that you are able to build a useful address book as you go, or incorporate an existing electronic address book into your account. This means that once you have an address saved in the system, you will never have to enter the data a second time. The next time you need to send a letter to a relative across the country, simple select the right name and address, select the postage and then print postage online along with the recipient's name.

A great feature of online postal services is that the system will check the accuracy of your recipient address before it will allow you to print stamps online. As an example, you will not be able to transpose digits in the zip code: the system will catch that and flag it for correction before proceeding. This feature alone can make it worthwhile, as it means you do not have to worry about mail being returned because you failed to write the address correctly.

Have you ever been left with a large number of stamps when the USPS would implement a rate increase? That is not a problem. Because you only print what you need, there is never any leftover. An additional perk is that all the approved vendors for online postage automatically update the rates at the appropriate time. This means that if you use the ability to print your stamps on the internet for your business, you do not have to be concerned about resetting anything before you can print the correct amount of postage.

There are many other advantages. For more information, check out some of the authorized vendors on the Internet. You can establish an account very easily, and be printing postage in no time.

Craig Thornburrow is an acknowledged expert in his field. You can get more free advice on printing postage and a digital postal scale at http://www.printingpostage.com

AP - Seven Puget Sound killer whales are missing and presumed dead in what could be the biggest decline among the sound's orcas in nearly a decade, say scientists who carefully track the endangered animals.

It's hard to get into a new groove once we've settled into a favorite pattern of doing something and that includes playing new games or trying a new game system. It's important to remember however that just because you're not used to the way a new game plays or the way that a new system runs - it doesn't mean that there's something wrong with it. The following offers some advice on how to get over the hurdle of giving new games a chance.

1. Nothing is perfect, including video games, the systems they play on, and dare we say - even you! The first time you try a new game you're bound to trip all over the place and maybe even make some of the stupidest mistakes that anyone could make. Keep in mind that flaws are inevitable and the even you, the master of all masters of course, can fumble around trying to find your way through a new game. Just because you mess up doesn't mean you're a terrible player. Likewise, mistakes don't make the game stupid or dumb. In fact, it's quite the opposite. If you find yourself making mistakes during a new game, it's time that to slow down and give this game a second and more serious look. If something in the game tripped you up - you, the master of all masters - then the game couldn't be as bad as you first thought.

2. Play a new game when you're "in the mood". What a fast-paced world we live in! So fast, that we expect to understand a game within the first 5 minutes of popping it into the console. Then when we're not sure what to do, the game gets confusing, or just dumb. Never try a new game when you're not in the mood or when you're in a rush. New games require patience and sometimes a thorough read of the instruction manual.

3. See the positive. There's something good about every game - even the more violent ones (although we're not prepared to defend violent games). When you're checking out a new one, focus on what you like as opposed to what makes you mad because you can't quite figure it out yet. A positive attitude will carry on to other aspects of the game and before you know it, you'll be encouraged to carry on with it and make some real progress.

4. Don't be such a know it all. In other words, don't be blinded by your own conceit or skills in a particular genre that you close yourself off to new ways of accomplishing tasks. The biggest room is the room for improvement and your room is no exception. Understand that the game you're playing may have something new to teach you about gaming as a whole. Then revel in it.

5. Continue to play. It's highly doubtful that anyone will like a new game in one day. Keep playing until you're absolutely sure that you don't ever want to see it in your console again.

6. Play alone the first time you play. It's quite possible that if you play a new game with a friend, you'll be vulnerable to accepting your friend's feelings as your own. Play a new game by yourself so that you can interpret your own feelings and not anyone else's.

There are tons of games out there to play. It might be fun to try something that's of a different genre than what you usually play. It will give a different perspective and you might even learn something. Game on!

Denise Villani is an author and the webmaster of several websites and article directories. Find more articles and information on gaming and video games by visiting VideoGameStuffSite.info.

Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: My sister, "Shannon," and I had a major falling out years ago and I haven't spoken to her or her family since -- except briefly, when we had to make arrangements for our father's funeral three years ago. Shannon is 17 years older than me, married with two grown children. I'm perfectly OK with this arrangement. In fact, I prefer it, and I'm sure they do, too.

Total Freedom with the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller

Game controllers used to be tied done by bulky cables that forced gamers to plug and unplug their controllers into their console. However, with advancements in the transmission of wireless data, Microsoft was able to fit a access for their Xbox 360 system.

If you would like to be free from the clutter of wires, check out an Xbox 360 wireless controller.

Wireless Controller Features

The Xbox 360 wireless controller has many different features that gamers should find very appealing. Lets look into them in detail:

1. Up to four wireless controllers - Games can use up to four wireless controllers at any given time.

They also have a range of thirty feet for access. This could very helpful for any games using the larger screens. This would allow you to sit back in comfort and play from a distance rather than having to be in cable distance.

2. Headset Port - For online gaming, the Xbox 360 wireless controller comes with a headset port, This allows you to hook your headset to the controller to transmit the data back to the bass unit.

This streamlines the Xbox Live service, and gamers will have much more freedom and be more effective while playing games.

The integrated Xbox 360 guide button allows gamers access online menus so that they can check other online players statistics and achievements, something that has become a major part of the Xbox 360 game advantage.

3. Improved battery life - The controller has had the expected battery life improved and recharging (or replacing) the batteries as easy as possible.

4. New left and right shoulder buttons are designed for ease of use - An improvement over previous design.

5. Adjustable vibration settings - This allows gamers to preserve battery charge by using less power. Vibrations in controllers have been used for years now to enjoy games, but gamers can now preserve battery charge by lowering the settings.

Also the Xbox 360 wireless controller also has a built in warning light so that when battery power is getting low, they have plenty of time to recharge the batteries. (2 AA batteries)

My prediction for recharging is that they will go the same way as up the quality PC mouse cordless mouse, which will only require plugging into the base unit, and no batteries at all.

The Xbox 360 wireless controller is a huge upgrade over the pervious wired models. Long range and power control features set this controller above the rest, and other smaller enhancements like the headset port really make it a major advancement compared to the previous Xbox.

If you're still using a wired controller, you owe it to yourself to buy the new Xbox 360 wireless controller - it is the future here now.

http://www.xbox360prosandcons.com provides information including

Xbox 360Wireless Controllers

Reviews and ideas. Also has largest up to date list of games and hardware at the best prices available.

xbox 360,

xbox 360 wireless controllers

AP - "Saturday Night Live" just won't be the same without Amy Poehler - who delivered a baby boy hours before the "Baby Mama" star was to appear on the NBC show.

One of the questions most people have, who are interested in developing video games, is - "just how do you become a game designer?". This question can be a little tricky to answer, since the definition of what a game designer actually is, tends to vary between different companies in the industry.

At one company, a designer might be up to his head in statistics, and be the person who balances gameplay by writing formulas that are later implemented in game.

At another company, a designer is someone who places enemies in the game, and not much else.

At yet another company, a designer is someone who programs gameplay in C++.

So, there is considerable variation in what "game designer" actually means, thus making the question "how do I become a game designer?", hard to answer.

Therefore, I am going to offer up my definition of what a game designer is, and what they actually do.

A Game Designer is -

1. Someone who contributes to the high-concept game design, and who designs specific gameplay features and content for the game.
2. Someone who has developed an eye for fun gameplay, and has the ability to get inside the players head.
3. Someone who can take what they've designed, and implement it.

I think that that is a pretty serviceable definition.

So, going back to the original question, if you want to become a game designer, the first thing you need to learn, is how to program.

If you don't know how to program, then all of the great ideas you have in your head, are going to be just that, ideas in your head. Something that no one can play, including yourself, and, more importantly, something that you will never be able to get feedback on.

If you never get feedback on what you've designed, then you will never grow as a designer. It is nearly impossible to predict what is going to be fun, without having it in front of you to actually play.

So, how do you learn to program?

Well, the first thing that I would recommend, is starting off by learning scripting for a game that you enjoy, that supports user created modifications.

The learning curve for learning a games scripting language is going to be much more shallow than learning a language like C++, and you will be able to see ideas, translated onto the screen, much more quickly.

However, one of the disadvantages of learning a scripting language, is that you are going to be fairly stuck in the genre of the game your are scripting for. For example, if you have an idea for a racing game, it's going to be hard/impossible to do it using the Neverwinter Nights engine(an RPG).

Once you get to that point, it would be a good idea to learn C++.

That's the first point on the list of what a game designer needs to know. In the next few days, I am going to be covering the second two points.

Thanks for reading,
Brian

Brian Gilman is a Game Designer with credits on Call of Duty 2, and Call of Duty 4:Modern Warfare.

If you are interested in learning how to make your own games, game design, and what it takes to be in the industry, check out his website at -

http://www.GameDesignInsider.com

E! Online - Justin Timberlake bounces between singing and acting, so why can't girlfriend Jessica Biel?

Playstation2 Game Cheats We are aware of the unstoppable spread of online gaming and video gaming addiction. Everybody is in to it, from kids to teens to the adults, almost everyone.

There are about 6 popular consoles that are frequently used by gamers and one of them is the Play station2 console that is created. It is second to come out in the Play station series following the Play station. So because of the rage in online and video gaming, cheats are also becoming more in demand. Accessible now in the online and offline market is a lot of game cheats such as Play station2 game cheats. The world of computer games is such a dream land for gamers. They can actually go to other places other than their own, where they can enjoy different quests.

Playstation2 game cheats offer much more than that for the reason that the player can easily gain access to hidden passages and secret entries to the application of it during or off the game or they can in fact jump up to other levels without the intricacy of venturing through the early stages. This is why playstation2 fanatics are so dependent in the usage of playstation2 game cheats.

Here are some Playstation2 new cheat games to check out plus there corresponding playstation2 cheats. Gamers learn more and enjoy!

Guitar Hero 2 This Playstation2 game is a sequel of a game with the same title. If you are rocker and wanted to carry and play a guitar of your own virtually then this is the appropriate game for you. Many agreed that this game really ROCKS! So to help you in get started on this particular PS2 cheat games here are some playstation2 cheats.

To deactivate or activate the hyper speed mode, go to the title menu and enter the following playstation2 cheats: Orange, Blue, Orange, Yellow (2X).

To strengthen performance press Yellow, Yellow, Blue, Yellow, Yellow, Orange, Yellow, Yellow

To change crowd features you can enter the following Playstation2 cheats codes:

B,O,Y,O,Y,O,B The crowd will have eyeball heads. O,B,Y,Y,O,B,Y,Y Your fans will have heads like the monkey. To change you guitars appearance you can use the subsequent playstation2 cheats:

Y,Y,B,O,Y,B The guitar you are holding will become an air guitar. M V P 07 N C A A Baseball Are you a baseball fan or player? Whatever you are this recent update in the series of N C A A baseball will perk your energy up! It is a college-based baseball video game. The new M V P 07 N C A A Baseball has a new feature called Rock and Fire Pitching, giving the player more control to the pitches. Though there are a lot of new features that you can take advantage of this game, it is pretty hard. Currently there are no available playstation2 cheats for M V P 07 N C A A Baseball. The game will be launch probably on February 6, 2007.

Phil is a leading game cheat expert with a listed ps2 cheat code site with FREE CODES DISPLAYED to make your gaming more enjoyable and to gain access to different and powerful levels at http://www.gamecheats-for-ps2.com Grip your seat in the fast lane and download your codes NOW

AP - Members of the Nation of Islam, the New Black Panthers and the NAACP on Saturday promised protests to bring more attention to the killing of an east Texas man whose death recalls, for some, a notorious decade-old hate crime.

Play Games Instead

Do you like your full version pocket pc games free? Most people do. The world of freeware downloads for your pda or pocket pc is wide and varied. No matter what kind of games you prefer, you can find them online in full version form. RPG, sports, gambling, action, you name it, and there is a freeware download for you to get for your palm pilot so that you can play games at your convenience.

Most freeware sites offer downloads that are compatible with all the major brands of handhelds, and the downloads are simple and fast. The games are user friendly and provide the full range of levels, degrees of difficulty and the great graphics you have come to expect from your favorite ipaq and palm pilot games.

Now, instead of being incredibly bored while waiting in line, doing tons of laundry or being tired at work, you can play the full version games of your choice with the added benefit of being able to download them for free. Nothing gets better than that.

So if you are hungering for the full version of your favorite arcade game or action game, or simply want to gamble some of your latest paycheck away, you can do it with your pda, conveniently and privately. Freeware downloads of full version pocket pc games are one of the best uses for your palm pilot. Instead of paying attention to what is going on around you, spend your time playing the games you really enjoy.

Dan Ayala is webmaster and publisher of PDA-Review-Online.com, offering reviews on PDAs, Palm Pilots, Pocket PC's, software and accessories. PDA Review Online provides free information and recommendations for your online resources that you can download anytime or anywhere.

AP - It's been eight years since the re-count of the 2000 Florida election, but Jim Dobyns is still living with chads. One waited for him when he went to clean the top of the microwave. He found another by the coffee table. And when he was petting his cat recently he plucked one of the manila-colored flakes from its fur.

Voice recognition technology has been threatening to eliminate the need for traditional medical transcription for several years. However, the reality of the situation is that, while speech recognition technology has no doubt increased in importance in the healthcare industry, it is not capable of replacing a traditional medical transcriptionist. Home medical transcription employment is as plentiful as ever, which bodes well for the future.

But the one effect of voice recognition technology development is that the work style of some medical transcriptionists has been transformed to an increasingly large degree. For the most part, most medical transcriptionists still transcribe the old-fashioned way: they listen to a dictation file and type a pretty much word-for-word report.

As voice recognition catches on, the starting point for a home medical transcriptionist is increasingly a rough draft of a file that has been produced by speech recognition software.

Typically, voice recognition software will be capable of producing an end product that is perhaps 60% to 80% correct. The issue, of course, is that only a trained medical transcriptionist can tell you where the errors lie in the medical report draft. It is crucial to have each rough document reviewed and edited by a knowledeable medical transcriptionist.

The integrity of our healthcare industry is dependent on correct information being given to doctors who are seeing the patients, and making decisions on their behalf. An inaccurate medical records file can spell disaster for a patient, and cause major frustration to the healthcare delivery system.

In time, more and more of the voice dictation files produced by physicians will be created through voice recognition software. This will force the current pool of medical transcriptionists to refurbish their skill sets. In place of listening and transcribing word for word, the medical transcriptionist of the future will be listening to and editing a document that comes up on his or her computer in an edit mode.

State-of-the-art technology is truly bringing efficiency to the industry, but the need for competent home medical transcriptionists and medical record editors will thrive, and progress well into the future. In fact, there has never been a more opportune time to enter this exciting career field!

Chris Dunn loves writing articles about work-at-home opportunities. Check out his Home Medical Transcription website and read more about the bright future of Home Medical Transcription.

WEBMASTERS: Use of this article requires links to remain intact.

AP - Gov. Sarah Palin's signature accomplishment - a contract to build a 1,715-mile pipeline to bring natural gas from Alaska to the Lower 48 - emerged from a flawed bidding process that narrowed the field to a company with ties to her administration, an Associated Press investigation shows.